Participants

The Wharton Behavioral Laboratory (WBL) provides a variety of services that support data collection for behavioral research on business-related topics. The primary goal is to enhance the research productivity of Wharton faculty by minimizing the operational costs, both time and money, of conducting research. The primary services provided are maintaining and updating facilities, recruiting participants, handling administrative tasks, and staffing for a state-of-the-art experimental research laboratory that is a shared asset for all faculty and students doing behavioral research. It contributes to Wharton’s reputation for excellence in academic research and enhances Penn’s ability to attract and retain the very best scholars.

In the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, to the right of Joe’s Cafe.

Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Suite 400

3620 Locust Walk

Philadelphia, PA 19104

The WBL runs a large variety of studies. Most on-campus studies involve the use of a desktop computer and a questionnaire. Since the pandemic, we have been seeing an influx of more interactive and complex studies as researchers come up with innovative ideas. The WBL has also added a new feature, remote sessions, in which we send a survey or Zoom link directly to you. While the specific details of the studies are not available on our website once posted, you will be informed about the type of study and asked to give consent prior to each.

Studies can involve group work, conversations, negotiations, eating/drinking, estimations, presentations, heart-rate variability, EEG, facial expression analysis, and much, much more!

Anyone who is 18 years of age or older and has a valid photo I.D.

Please note that we require users to have a valid U.S. social security number in order to receive payment. Those looking to take studies for extra credit are not required to have a SSN. You are able to receive payment and extra credit together.

Payment is based on the length of the study. Participants qualify for payment if they have submitted an accurate and completed W-8/W9 tax form. To complete this form, you must have a valid U.S. social security number. Participants are paid via Virtual ClinCard at a rate of $15.00/hour for on-campus studies and $2 to $6 for remote studies.

Show-up fees are a payment of $5 given to those unable to participate through no fault of their own, that have shown up to the lab on-time and ready to participate.

The show up fee applies to the following circumstances:

• The study requires an even number of participants and there is an odd number who showed up
• The session is overbooked
• Un foreseen technical issues

This fee can typically be waved in lieu of signing up for another session at a later time for full payment upon completion of the study.

As a participant you must agree to the following responsibilities.

1. You must have only one account. If you would like to change your email, please alert the lab admin or email WBLcontact@wharton.upenn.edu. Those with multiple accounts will be suspended. Those creating multiple accounts to get around banning or screening will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and will be automatically banned from future participation in the lab.
2. You can do a given study only once.
3. You must arrive on time to your appointment. Sessions begin 5 minutes after the established start time.
4. If you cannot make your appointment, you must cancel your scheduled session. Please contact WBLcontact@wharton.upenn.edu if you need help cancelling your session.
5. Give the experiments your complete attention. Users caught cheating, not following instructions, or otherwise not completing their assigned studies will be suspended and prohibited from further participation.
6. Fill out the W8/W9 accurately. Those falsifying information will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and will be automatically banned from future participation in the lab.

The quickest and easiest way to contact us is by email, WBLcontact@wharton.upenn.edu

We understand that life happens. Please log into your account and cancel your participation. If it is too close to the session start-time to cancel, please email WBLcontact@wharton.upenn.edu and let us know that you will not be attending. Those who do not cancel their appointments beforehand will receive an unexcused absence. Two unexcused absences will result in account suspension until the end of the semester.

Our strict attendance policy is in an effort to hit the numbers requested by our researchers. While we try to be understanding, if you are consistently unable to make your sessions, please reconsider signing up until you know that you can make it. If you are unable to cancel your session due to unforeseen circumstances, please reach out to us at your earliest convenience. Our policy allows for excused absences after the fact, but consistently no-showing in the lab is not permitted.

Please be aware that many of our studies need specific types of participants (e.g., women only) and most studies cannot use people who have previously participated in similar studies. Therefore, not everyone qualifies for all of our studies. It is important to keep your profile updated and accurate at all times to ensure you are in the correct demographic. The Sona Prescreen questions determine your eligibility.

All of the studies run in the lab are approved by the Office of Regulatory Affairs, the Institutional Review Board. The mission of the IRB is:

• To promote the rights and welfare of human research participants
• To facilitate excellence in human research by providing timely and high quality review of human research
• To provide professional guidance and support to the research community